Hearts Connected LLC

Have you ever heard of a diagnosis script? A diagnosis script is a pre-made script that can help explain your or your child's diagnosis to another person. Diagnosis scripts be helpful to your child if they experience anxiety about explaining their cystic fibrosis to their friends or peers. Here are some benefits of using diagnosis scripts: ??Diagnosis scripts can allow your child to have developmentally appropriate information that answers the most common questions about cystic fibrosis. ?? Diagnosis scripts can be used by you, your child, your child's doctors, your child's teachers, and more. Diagnosis scripts can be a way for your child to advocate for themselves. ?? Diagnosis scripts can be edited to add or take out information to your child's comfort level, especially as they get older and understand more complex terms. What are your experiences with diagnosis scripts? Let us know! #cysticfibrosis #cysticfibrosisresources #cysticfibrosisawareness #cysticfibrosisfoundation #CFawareness #cysticfibrosismanagement #CFirl #cysticfibrosismanagement #CF #cysticfibrosiscommunity #parentsupport #patientsupport #cysticfibrosiseducation #cysticfibrosissupport#parentsupport #parenttips #familysupport #childlife #chronicillness #copingsupport #medicalplay

Have you heard about the idea of narrative identity? Narrative identity is the word for your perception of your own life story so far! It can be helpful for teens to reflect on their life experiences with their cystic fibrosis or other chronic conditions, so here is an activity to get them started! Things you'll need: - Posterboard or a large piece of cardstock - Pictures chosen by the teen - Printouts of other collage elements, including words, objects, etc. - Glue, tape, scissors, pens, pencils, markers, etc. - Access to a printer, and/or photo developer What to do: - Using the craft materials, your teen can attach their elements to the poster board, they can arrange them however they like! - Collage elements can include their favorite pictures of themselves, family members, friends, favorite things, and words they associate with themselves. - After they're done, they can talk about how they see their life story so far, and how their cystic fibrosis has impacted them. Have you done collage activities before with your teen? Let us know in the comments! #cysticfibrosis #cysticfibrosisresources #cysticfibrosisawareness #cysticfibrosisfoundation #CFawareness #cysticfibrosismanagement #CFirl #cysticfibrosismanagement #CF #cysticfibrosiscommunity #parentsupport #patientsupport #cysticfibrosiseducation #cysticfibrosissupport#parentsupport #parenttips #familysupport #childlife #chronicillness #copingsupport #medicalplay

Today is offer day - a day filled with so much anticipation, excitement for many, and disappointment for many others. Know that we see each and every one of you that has worked so hard to get to this day. Whether you received an offer, participated in multiple interviews, or did not hear back from a single clinical site, know that your worth and value are not defined by the outcome of today. ? We honor and support all child life students today and are cheering each of you on in your child life journey! ?? #childlife #childlifestudent #childlifestudents #ccls #childlifejourney #childlifeinternship

Child life specialists are vital in helping adolescents with chronic conditions such as CF navigate their transition into adulthood and independent management of their disease. Child life specialists focus on guiding and supporting teens towards independence in the following ways: ?Educating them on the significance of fulfilling their responsibilities ?Teaching them how to do daily management tasks ?Creating achievable steps towards complete independence ?Teaching them how to advocate for their needs ?Connecting them with peer support resources ?Developing transitional coping strategies ?Validating and processing their emotions Did we miss anything? What else do you feel teens need support with while transitioning to adulthood and independent care management? #cysticfibrosis #cysticfibrosisresources #cysticfibrosisawareness #cysticfibrosisfoundation #CFawareness #cysticfibrosismanagement #CFirl #cysticfibrosismanagement #CF #cysticfibrosiscommunity #parentsupport #patientsupport #cysticfibrosiseducation #cysticfibrosissupport #childlife #adulthood #teens #childlifespecialist #validation #education #peersupport #advocacy #copingplan

Creating opportunities for socialization is essential to nurture friendship, identity development, and decrease feelings of isolation. However, when considering Cystic Fibrosis (CF), being in close proximity can pose infection risks. Therefore, it’s crucial to develop these opportunities in safe way while still fostering connection! ??CFRI Support Groups: Provide teens aged 13-18 a platform to connect through monthly virtual meetings. ??Mauli Ola: Leverages the healing power of ocean water to teach surfing to children and teens with CF. ??Youth Advisory Group: Engages individuals aged 13-25 with CF to use their voices in leading projects and forming friendships. ??CF Peer Connect: Pairs individuals aged 16 and older with mentors to help them navigate life with CF positively. ??Bond Touch: A company dedicated to fostering trusting and lasting connections with those who are unable to be physically close. #cysticfibrosis #cysticfibrosisresources #cysticfibrosisawareness #cysticfibrosisfoundation #CFawareness #cysticfibrosismanagement #CFirl #cysticfibrosismanagement #CF #cysticfibrosiscommunity #parentsupport #patientsupport #cysticfibrosiseducation #cysticfibrosissupport #parenttips #supportgroups #surfing #friendship #confidence #socialization

In November, we are excited to welcome Deon Huffman, a Pediatric Nurse and child life advocate for a productive and enlightening conversation Q&A style! Deon was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and for most of his life he has worked with children in environments like rec centers and YMCAs. In 2010, he became a certified nursing assistant, where he saw the impact we all have on everyone we come across in healthcare settings. Deon has been working at children's hospital in Southern California as a Registered Nurse since 2020. In recent years, he has been searching for ways to help one of our most vulnerable populations—children—feel less frightened when they visit the doctors/hospital. He wanted to create a platform that makes health topics easy to understand and even fun so kids can feel more comfortable and confident in healthcare settings. Deon teamed up with providers in and out of healthcare who have a passion for helping children, including child life specialists. Woot woot! And together, they collaborated to create a new kids' show, Nurse Deon, with the mission of helping as many kids as possible to learn and be less fearful. To learn more about our panelist and his amazing new children's medical show, Nurse Deon, check him out @nursedeon ?? To register, click here: https://loom.ly/M3TnDlo Discussion Highlights: 1. This will be a live Q&A, conversation style, webinar in which we will be asking Nurse Deon insightful and thought-provoking questions regarding the RN and CCLS relationship in pediatric health care. 2. We are also asking registrants to submit questions they would like answered by Nurse Deon and we will be asking as many questions submitted as time allows. *This webinar will be recorded. You must be registered to receive the recording link. If you are not able to attend live, you will need to complete a post-quiz to earn a certificate. **By registering for this webinar, you are agreeing to have your contact information shared with this webinar's sponsor.

Child life specialists are child development experts who work in a variety of healthcare settings, but they all can offer support for you and your child with cystic fibrosis. This week we talked about how child life specialists can support your child while they are in the hospital, but child life specialists in outpatient settings can offer support for your child as they navigate their daily life with their diagnosis. Are the responsibilities of an outpatient child life specialist different from those of an inpatient child life specialist? Outpatient child life specialists offer similar means of support as inpatient child life specialists, but they have some unique interventions. Here are some common ways child life specialists support kiddos in outpatient settings. ?? Continued Diagnosis Education ?? Support for Medical Compliance ?? Advocacy at School ?? Procedure Preparation ?? Preparation for Independence Whether your child is in an inpatient or outpatient setting, child life specialists can offer developmentally appropriate and effective support for you, your child, and the whole family! #cysticfibrosis #cysticfibrosisresources #cysticfibrosisawareness #cysticfibrosisfoundation #CFawareness #cysticfibrosismanagement #CFirl #cysticfibrosismanagement #CF #cysticfibrosiscommunity #parentsupport #patientsupport #cysticfibrosiseducation #cysticfibrosissupport#parentsupport #parenttips #familysupport #childlife #chronicillness #copingsupport #medicalplay

We are excited to announce Hearts Connected's newest free resource for child life professionals, students, and parents! ?? This is a comprehensive list of over 550 organizations throughout the United States supporting children and families dealing with complex or difficult medical circumstances. This list is organized by the following categories, making it easy for child life specialists and parents to find what they are looking for. Accessibility: Generally for individuals with different abilities or that require adaptive items Activity Kits: Providing activity kits to children and hospitals Donations to Families: General opportunities for families to receive items directly Donations to Hospitals: More limited to child life programs receiving items Hospital Outreach: Organizations that provide opportunities within the hospital Resources: General resources and organizations Support Groups: Opportunities to connect with other peers Visits: Different ways for special visitors to make an appearance Wish: Organizations that provide wish and dream granting Other: If it didn't fit into one of our other sections, you can find it here! This list is an amazing resource when needing to find a particular service, item, or support offering for a family or child, however, this site can also serve as a helpful tool for child life professionals interested in working in alternative settings and don't know where to start looking. Many of the organizations listed here are familiar with child life services and have many CCLS on staff, so there could be many potential employment opportunities found through here! This list is also a helpful tool for child life students to explore potential volunteer or employment opportunities to gain further experience working with children and families while pursuing certification. We hope this list is helpful to many and all for the various purposes shared here, but most of all we hope it helps more families reach the support services they need or could benefit from nationwide! ?? To access this list go to: https://lnkd.in/gzDhtqX6 r click here: https://loom.ly/BEWPhtE #childlife #ccls #childlifestudent #chidllifespecialist #parentresources #pedatricresources #wishesforkids #organizationsforkids

Hospital stays can be super stressful for both you and your child, especially when your child has been admitted repeatedly, which is common in children with Cystic Fibrosis! Child life specialists are there to help both you and your child cope with the stressors that typically accompany a lengthy hospital admission. They are child development experts and are commonly found in healthcare settings, both inpatient and outpatient! So, how can a child life specialist support your kiddo with Cystic Fibrosis while they're in the hospital? Here are a few common ways! ?? Therapeutic Play ?? Diagnosis Education ?? Advocacy ?? Procedure Preparation Stay tuned to hear about how child life specialists can support your child with CF in an outpatient setting! #cysticfibrosis #cysticfibrosisresources #cysticfibrosisawareness #cysticfibrosisfoundation #CFawareness #cysticfibrosismanagement #CFirl #cysticfibrosismanagement #CF #cysticfibrosiscommunity #parentsupport #patientsupport #cysticfibrosiseducation #cysticfibrosissupport#parentsupport #parenttips #familysupport #childlife #chronicillness #copingsupport #medicalplay

A cystic fibrosis diagnosis in your family can come with so many challenges, especially for your child's siblings. They may feel sad about their sibling's lower energy levels, jealous about the shift in parental attention, confused about the new devices, etc. As a parent, you might see these emotions in your child's siblings, but not know how to fix them. As child life specialists, we are trained to support the ENTIRE family, and we have some suggestions for how to support your child's siblings. ?? Validate your child's emotions ?? Maintain your family's regular routines ?? Help your children keep in touch with each other during hospital stays ?? Support your children's understanding of their sibling's diagnosis ?? Spend quality one-on-one time with your other children ?? Find support for your family's unique needs Do you know of any specific areas in your family's life that need extra support? We offer a FREE 15-minute phone consultation! Visit us at heartsconnected.org to get started! #cysticfibrosis #cysticfibrosisresources #cysticfibrosisawareness #cysticfibrosisfoundation #CFawareness #cysticfibrosismanagement #CFirl #cysticfibrosismanagement #CF #cysticfibrosiscommunity #parentsupport #patientsupport #cysticfibrosiseducation #cysticfibrosissupport#parentsupport #parenttips #familysupport #childlife #chronicillness #copingsupport #medicalplay